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8/31/2012

Cheers to a long weekend! I'm looking forward to:
- a beer on a patio tonight
- Cinnamon buns at the Farmer's Market tomorrow
- One last swim at the lake... it's supposed to be over 30 degrees!
- Sleeping in on Monday
- lots of cuddles and kisses with the dude... if he'll let me! His new favourite thing is shaking his head 'no' when I try to kiss him...

8/30/2012

I got a package in the mail a few days ago, and inside was a CD containing pictures that Soren and I had taken last fall. What a treat! I can't get over how small he looks, and I remember thinking he was so big at the time.

All pictures are taken by Jennifer Tower Photography. I think I've mentioned it before - but I'm looking forward to fall! Look how cute his little sweater is!!

8/28/2012

I have absolutely no musical talent. I cannot carry a tune, I can't follow a beat, I can't even sign along to top 40 hits (I never remember the words). This doesn't mean that I don't enjoy music, however. I like listening to music, and I am always impressed when I watch live performances - whether its Symphony in the Park or a local artist playing in a bar. My parents forced me to take piano lessons, and while I absolutely hated practicing, I'm thankful that I was able to learn how to read music. From time to time I think about getting a piano and playing songs with Soren...

Anyways, Soren seems very interested in music. He loves to dance when catchy songs come on the radio, and I've always sung (terrible) songs to him. While I was on maternity leave I loved going to various playgroups and baby programs. It was fun to socialize with the other moms, and it was neat to see Soren interacting with other babies his age. Now that I'm back at work I find I miss the interactions with other families. Unfortunately, most playgroups are during the day - when I am stuck in the office.

A friend recommended a baby music program, and we signed up! Starting at the end of September we will spend half an hour each Sunday at a toddler music appreciation class. No idea what to expect... hopefully I will not have to sing (out loud)!

8/27/2012

Even though the temperatures are still hot, it definitely feels like fall. The wind has been ripping through the trees and blowing off the leaves, making the sidewalks full of crispy leaves. While we were walking today we crunched our way through piles of acorns, which brought back many memories of fall walks to school. I was browsing through Pinterest for some fall clothing inspiration.

8/26/2012

Don't things feel so much better when you wake up to a clean house? I just love fresh sheets... I would almost change my bedding daily just for the feeling of climbing into freshly laundered sheets. Most of the time, I only get to relish this feeling once per week - but maybe I should try changing the sheets mid-week, and see if it's worth the extra effort.

I had a wonderful day yesterday with the Littlest - who is quickly becoming becoming the Biggest (or at least bigger!). We hit up the Farmers Market in the morning, and a florist gave Soren a little purple flower to hold. He was so proud of it, and held it gently in front of him as we walked around. I got a mini-bunch of flowers that are now sitting on our dining room table - and fresh flowers make me almost as happy as freshly laundered sheets!!

We just ate the world's largest Blueberry Muffins (or should I say cakes) - made fresh for us by a family friend. Soren could not eat it fast enough, frantically making the 'more' sign with his hands after every bite. Today's agenda? Probably a walk with the dogs, some coffee, a bit of baking, and maybe tackling my closet. It's exploding at the seams, and I think a Good Will trip is in order.

8/24/2012

This week has been my first full work week in a while, but surprisingly it has flown by. I'm loving the hot weather we have had all week... and I'm trying to take advantage of it. You never know which day could be the last hot day before the cool days descend upon us.

I'm looking forward to buying a zucchini at the Farmer's Market tomorrow, and baking a loaf of delicious zucchini bread. I'm also looking forward to relaxing, having a cup of coffee at home, and maybe a glass of wine with Tyler. It's nice not to have any specific plans.

8/23/2012

Why play on a play structure when you could play with rocks and pebbles? That is this kids activity of choice! I have to remember to let him explore things on his own. Last night we went to the park, and when I tried to steer him in 'my' direction he flopped down to the ground and screamed. If he wants to play with rocks, who am I to stop him? (Unless he tries to eat them, which thankfully he has pretty much stopped doing.)

Soren is talking up a storm these days, and I can't wait to understand what he's saying! The words we can understand the best are 'ball', 'shoes', 'trees', and 'woof'. It's pretty hilarious when he barks with the dogs.

We've crossed a big line and have given up breast-feeding. We'd cut it down to one feeding per day, in the mornings, and with me being gone for most of last week it just seemed a good time to end it. I struggled with breast-feeding for a good four months, so I am completely surprised to have lasted 14 months. Our morning routine now starts with a little cuddle, and sometimes some Baby Einstein. It's a change, but not necessarily a bad one.

8/21/2012

When I got married, (almost 3 years ago!) I didn't have a wedding party. My husband has 4 brothers, and at least 5 best friends. We knew we were having a smallish wedding, and we didn't want it to be overwhelmed by a massive wedding party. In the end, we decided not to choose a wedding party at all, and I think it was the best decision we could have made. We had one of my sisters and one of his brothers sign as our witnesses, and it turned out perfectly.

Since I didn't have bridesmaids, I didn't have to pick out bridesmaids gifts. If I had, I probably would have gone with jewelry as the gift option. At the wedding I was in this past week-end, there were seven bridesmaids. When we woke up at dawn to start getting our hair and make-up done, the bride presented us all with our gifts. They were the cutest robes I've ever seen! I know I will get a lot of use out of the robe, and our getting ready pictures are sure to look adorable. (Unfortunately I forgot the robe at the lake...but I'm sure I'll have it back soon.) I never would have thought up such a unique gift idea, but I'm glad the bride did!!

8/20/2012

It is August 20th today, and so far this month I have spent 12 days away from home. No wonder I feel a bit scattered! This past week-end we left the dude at the Grandparents, and headed out of town to attend one of my best friends' wedding. It was a beautiful day, and the wedding was absolutely amazing. It was also held on a island - and the logistics that went into holding a 250-person wedding on an island are mind-boggling! I can't wait to see some of the photographs that were taken professionally, but Instagram is good at catching a brief moment. The bride looked amazing.

My mom got these pictures of Soren when they were playing at the park. He looks so much like a 'real' boy now!! All he needs is a little bit more hair:)

8/16/2012

One year ago we were in BC showing off our new little baby. He was only two months old, but we felt like he had been with us forever. I remember thinking that I truly could not remember what my life was like before him. Looking back on pictures is a little shocking, because it's hard to imagine all the changes that can happen in a year. I miss feeling hot all the time, from having his little body pressed to mine at all times. Now I'm lucky to hold him for a few minutes when he wakes up in the morning. For those first few months - I could literally count the hours that I was apart from him. (An hour when I went Superstore by myself...two hours visiting some girlfriends... 4 hours when we had to go to a wedding...) It's kind of sad to think that I now spend more time away from him, than with him. I know he has to grow up though, and I'm thrilled to see all of the new skills he learns each and every day.

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Sunshine Coast last August.

8/15/2012

I returned home from New York late last night... and I cannot believe how much the Littlest has changed in 4 days! He's walking much better, communicating more, and looks so much older. I feel like I left a baby at home, and then came home to a new little boy. One who is C-R-A-Z-Y! After spending 2 hours with him this evening I was exhausted. Luckily, so was he and he went to bed easily.

I'm busy doing laundry and packing to go away for the weekend, sans baby. He'll be spending the weekend with his grandparents (and Uncle!) while we celebrate a friend's marriage out of town. After a summer of extremely hot, dry days, I hope the weather can hold up until Saturday. The wedding is at a lake, and if it's cool and rainy it with put a slight damper on things. Fingers are crossed hoping for sunny skies!

New York was great. I was busy with work, of course, but a lot of my work events were pretty awesome. I got to ride to a Yankees game in a FULLY stocked party bus, and then watch the game from the comfort of a luxury suite. I am not a huge baseball fan, but that stadium is absolutely gorgeous. We stayed at the Warwick Hotel and I was upgraded to a suite. The room was huge by any standard, but by Manhattan standards it was practically a palace! My favourite part was having space in the bathroom to get ready IN it, rather than at home where I plug my hairdryer in, but have to stand half outside the bathroom if I wish to flip my hair upside down.

I enjoyed a quick stroll through Central Park, checked out a few awesome restaurants, and ate a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. The best part about coming home, other than seeing the baby of course, was walking into a sparkling clean house (curtesy of my wonderful husband!) and a fully stocked fridge. After 4 days of heavy meals - all I wanted was blueberries and yogurt.

8/11/2012

I'm off to New York City! The littlest is going to have a great time with his dad, and I know I'll have a great time in the big apple. It was tough packing this morning with my little 'helper'. I think there might be some surprises jn my suitcase when I unpack!!

8/09/2012

One of my New Year's Resolutions way back when was to work out 3 times per week. This has not been happening as of late, and I'm definitely feeling sluggish. I think I need to PLAN when those 3 work-outs will happen. I found a great yoga class at the YMCA, but unfortunately it's off for the summer. I much prefer going to classes rather than working out on my own, but most of the classes at the Y are at 6 or 6:45 pm. When I only get to see Soren from 5ish till 7:30, I can't really justify the time away from him. Sigh. Sometimes I really miss the days of being a stay-at-home mom. I miss eating a leisurely breakfast with the Littlest, sipping my coffee while he played, cleaning up a little, and then making a 'big plan' of where to go for our walk.

These mornings are usually pretty rushed, and I don't stop to drink a coffee until I'm at the office. The last few mornings at daycare have been rougher too, since S has started crying as soon as I try and put him down. I know he has fun there... but it's tough walking out of someone else's home while your baby is screaming for you.

This is what our mornings looked like while we were on holidays. The littlest getting into everything he can get his hands on, while we desperately try to grab a few more minutes of sleep.

8/08/2012

I hardly took any pictures this past weekend. I think I'm still mourning our Nikon... taking pictures with a little point and shoot is not the same. Anyway, with or without pictures we had a wonderful weekend! It rained on Friday and Saturday morning, but by Sunday the skies had cleared up and we had lots of swimming, boating, and lounging on the dock.

The Littlest was pretty happy being on a boat this time, although the same could not be true about his feelings for his lifejacket. As soon as he had it on he would lean waaay back, which would make him fall over and he couldn't figure out how to stand up with it on. Poor guy!

I'm happy to report that I gained 4 pounds in 5 days (ugh). Happy hour starts around noon when you are on vacation, and I don't think my body is very happy with me today. I have about 5 loads of laundry to do, and then I need to start packing for New York this weekend!!

8/03/2012

Thank you for arriving so quickly this week! I am so excited to relax at the lake for 5 whole days (well, 4 and a half whole days). I'm looking forward to catching up with friends and sitting on a dock with a nice cold beer. Sadly it's raining today, but that can't possibly last long. It's a long weekend after all!

We finally made the big switch to put Soren in a forward facing car seat. This picture was from the first time I put him in it. He's gotten over the confusion!

I'll probably be away from the blog for a few days, unless I get an overwhelming desire to log in and post some pictures. A year ago I had never read a blog, 6 months ago I started one, and now it seems odd to me to go a day without checking it. I'm linking up with Friday's Letters this week after seeing it so many times on my daily reads. Have a fabulous weekend - especially if it's a long weekend for you!!

8/02/2012

We came home around 8pm last night, and drove through silent streets with no glow from the streetlights. Our power was out! We walked into our dark, hot house and put the dude to bed, and then lit some candles. Being without power is so strange. All of the things you would normally do - you can't! I wanted to get some baking done for the weekend, but that was obviously out. I would have been happy to watch the Olympics, but that was clearly off limits as well.

In the end, I settled in to read Fifty Shades of Grey by candlelight. It was my first time reading anything on a Reader, and I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe I'll get used to reading a tablet, but at this point I prefer the feel of real pages. I also must say that I wasn't too impressed the most talked about book of the summer! I'm about 50 pages in, and so far it reads like a cheesy romance novel. Because of all the hype, I was definitely expecting more - but I'm going to keep going and hope it picks up.

The power came back on around 11 or 11:30, just as we were settling sticky, airless night. The whir of the fan and our little window air-conditioner were quite the relief!